After receiving a two-year extension, Gary Stead will continue to lead the New Zealand men’s squad until June 2025.
Stead was initially hired in late 2018 for a two-year term. His contract was then extended in 2020 through the end of the forthcoming ODI World Cup in India, and his most recent extension will last until June 2025, the end of the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Stead’s extended contract will begin with the World Cup this year and continue through the T20 World Cup the following summer, the Champions Trophy in early 2025, and, if New Zealand qualifies, the WTC final in 2025.
Following “a long and thorough consultative process” in which Stead received “unanimous support” for an extension, the decision was made, according to a NZC release.
“The support for Gary was overwhelmingly positive—from the players, the BLACKCAPS support staff, Major Association coaches and support staff, as well as the New Zealand Cricket Players Association and NZC High Performance Unit staff,” said Bryan Stronach, general manager of high performance at NZC. “Gary has produced some really impressive outcomes, and we believe he still has a lot to provide the squad.
“Of course, a huge factor in this choice was whether Gary wanted to stay, and he made it obvious his desire to move this squad forward was as strong as ever.
Stronach added that a split-coaching setup was discussed for the position but was later rejected.
Although a split-coaching role was extensively considered, we saw significant advantages in maintaining the status quo because the majority of our top BLACKCAPS played in all three formats and because the group’s culture was so strong and good.
We believed that this was the best choice we had out of all the possible outcomes.
According to a “fourth coach” idea that Stronach also mentioned, coaches with specialized skill sets or “knowledge of particular overseas environments or formats” will assist the New Zealand touring squads. The recent appointments of Thilan Samaraweera, Luke Wright, Saqlain Mushtaq, Stephen Fleming, and Shane Bond are just a few examples of this.
Following several months of deliberation and consultation, NZC CEO David White remarked, “I’m very satisfied that all options were well considered.” I’m thrilled for Gary. He’s a decent man who enjoys the respect and trust of the players, and he excels at his work.
Tim Southee, the captain of the test team, noted that in addition to the technical responsibilities that came with the job, the head coach also had to manage people.
“Gary has done an excellent job of guiding us into finals in all three formats and, of course, that World Test Championship victory.” The way he came in and expanded on what had already been accomplished has been fantastic.
It’s a difficult situation because of how much time players and support workers spend apart from their families and loved ones. Nowadays, there is a lot of cricket played; therefore, managing individuals and their workloads well is a big aspect of the job.
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